Associate Product Engineer

Location:

About us

At Arbor, we're on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better. 

We believe in a future of work in schools where being challenged doesn't mean being burnt out and overworked. Where data guides progress without overwhelming staff. And where everyone working in a school is reminded why they got into education every day. 

Our MIS and school management tools are already making a difference in over 7,000 schools and trusts. Giving time and power back to staff, turning data into clear, actionable insights, and supporting happier working days. 

At the heart of our brand is a recognition that the challenges schools face today aren't just about efficiency, outputs and productivity - but about creating happier working lives for the people who drive education everyday: the staff. We want to make schools more joyful places to work, as well as learn. 

About the role

We are looking for a smart and hard-working Associate Product Engineer to join our Engineering team and help us contribute towards the development of the company's core systems and processes, along with contributing to auxiliary services as required. The remit and focus of the role is to specialise in PHP application and web development, while actively participating in the creation of solutions that support various systems where needed. The emphasis for this role is on learning, collaborating with the team, and gaining proficiency in PHP and web development. It's a broad and exciting role, so we're looking for someone up for a challenge - if you're an enthusiastic and collaborative candidate, this is the role for you.

Core responsibilities

• Actively contribute to the successful implementation of relevant features, enhancing the core systems and platforms
• Collaborate with the team to improve product lead time, ensuring efficient delivery 
• Play a role in identifying and resolving bugs and issues within the system, actively participating in problem-solving efforts
• Assist in the creation of clear and comprehensive technical documentation for the system, fostering a knowledge-sharing culture within the team
• Collaborate closely with other Engineers to help solutionize feature requests
• Develop and implement appropriate tests around new features, ensuring thorough test coverage and reliability
• Write clean, well-documented code using standard design patterns and methodologies, emphasizing maintainability and readability
• Actively participate in code reviews and pair programming sessions with colleagues, fostering a collaborative and learning-oriented environment

Requirements

About you

• Fundamental understanding of Object-Oriented languages and software development
• Basic knowledge of relational database technologies
• A positive and proactive attitude to problem solving 
• Enthusiastic about learning and developing skills in a collaborative environment
• A team player, willing to muck in and help others when needed, driven personality who asks questions and actively participates in discussions
• Good written and spoken English so you can present your ideas

Bonus skills

• Understanding of software engineering principles, such as SOLID, DRY etc
• Familiarity with Scrum methodology or other agile development processes
• Basic awareness of PHP 
• Familiarity with software best practices such as Refactoring, Clean Code, Domain-Driven Design, Test-Driven Development, etc

Benefits

What we offer

The chance to work alongside a team of hard-working, passionate people in a role where you'll see the impact of your work everyday. We also offer:

• Flexible work environment (3 days work from office)
• Group Term Life Insurance paid out at 3x Annual CTC (Arbor India)
• 32 days holiday (plus Arbor Holidays). This is made up of 25 days annual leave plus 7 extra companywide days given over Easter, Summer & Christmas
• Work time: 9.30 am to 6 pm (8.5 hours only)
• Compensation - 100% fixed salary disbursement and no variable component

Interview process

We are committed to a fair and comfortable recruitment process, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during your application or interview process, please reach out to a member of the team at careers@arbor-education.com.

Our commitment is also backed by our partnership with Neurodiversity Consultancy, Lexxic who provide us with training, support and advice. 

Arbor Education is an equal opportunities organisation

Our goal is for Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive - whatever their ambitions may be so we support and promote diversity and equality, and actively  encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. 

Refer a friend

Know someone else who would be good for this role? You can refer a friend, family member or colleague, if they are offered a role with Arbor, we will say thank you with a voucher valued up to £200! Simply email: careers@arbor-education.com 

Please note: